Reconstructing the World’s Oldest Piano


Profiled Firm: Frank Hollinga |  Location: Belgium

The research and the reconstruction of the world's oldest surviving piano, Bartolomeo Cristofori's piano from 1720, is the subject Frank Hollinga chose for his master's project. "I ended up building two physical reconstructions of the piano, and I made the designs in Vectorworks," Hollinga said.

Frank Hollinga was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Portugal. "I started playing guitar when I was 15,” he said. “Some time later I ended up needing a new guitar — an electric one. Because I didn’t have enough money to buy a new one, I decided to make one myself. Thus began my interest in woodworking, specifically for musical instruments. I discovered that there was an instrument making course in Belgium, and so I finally enrolled in the Bachelor and Master of Music with a major in instrument making at the School of Arts in Ghent.”

During that course, he discovered his passion for historical keyboards. In 2017, he began his master's degree in instrument making, where he chose Cristofori’s historical piano as the focus.

ORIGINS OF THE PIANOFORTE

Italian musical instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655 - 1731) gained name and fame by devising the first step on the long road from harpsichord to piano around the year 1700. This first step was creating a harpsichord that could play loud and soft. His instrument became known as the "gravicembalo col piano, e forte," or pianoforte.

Only three of Cristofori’s instruments have survived the test of time, the 1720 piano being the oldest. It’s currently kept at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it has been modified many times. "My master project consisted of researching and reconstructing the possible original state of the instrument," Hollinga said.

HOW HOLLINGA USED VECTORWORKS

During his master's project, Hollinga also built two physical reconstructions of the piano. He designed the plans for these in Vectorworks.

"During my second year undergraduate, we learned to work with Vectorworks in a digital imaging course,” he said. “Although it’s a robust platform, it’s a very pleasant software to work in. Vectorworks has a nice interface, works smoothly, and offers many possibilities, both in 2D and 3D. Vectorworks allows me to work very precisely, easily, and quickly.”

The 1720 piano’s existing state. © Frank Hollinga.

The 1720 piano’s existing state. © Frank Hollinga.

Internal hammer diagrams in Vectorworks. © Frank Hollinga.

Internal hammer diagrams in Vectorworks. © Frank Hollinga.

Reconstruction #1 in Vectorworks. © Frank Hollinga.

Reconstruction #1 in Vectorworks. © Frank Hollinga.

Although working with precision is important, Hollinga also discovered a difference between practice and theory – especially when it comes to historical research in which traditional craftsmanship and tools are central. Working to the precision of a millimeter wasn’t Hollinga’s biggest focus in this case.

Of course, Hollinga understands that precision is always the guideline in instrument making, but what attracts him most is the beauty of the craft and its history. "We often think we are at the peak of our technical abilities, but in many areas our knowledge has actually regressed. In the end, our fingerspitzengefühl, our instinctive feeling, is our greatest asset," Hollinga said.

Learn more about Hollinga’s project here.

Reconstructed piano in use at a 2020 Ghent graduation festival. © Cheyenne DeKeyser.

Reconstructed piano in use at a 2020 Ghent graduation festival. © Cheyenne DeKeyser.